A Brighter Future
by AzureSpider
Summary: Warhammer 40k AU that is basically meant to be a "lighter and softer" take on the setting as opposed to the general nihilistic bleakness of the main universe. If you don't like that, don't read it. In the distant future in this alternate universe, there is still war, but at least humanity has found some allies among the races beyond the stars. Too bad not all humans wanted peace.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: So, it's been a long time since I was really into Warhammer 40k to any real degree. To be honest, I find WH40K a somewhat frustrating fiction. On the one hand, I like some of the character designs and lore elements, and it's one of the few Space Fantasy settings other than Star Wars that really grabs my attention. I also respect the immense power and might of the characters involved. But on the other hand...**

 **...I find the relentlessly nihilistic, "everyone's awful" set-up horribly depressing, and sufficiently terrible that it leaves me with feelings of great apathy and discontentment. Simply put, I don't like settings where everything is totally bleak, sadistic, and hopeless (which is also why I don't love _1984_ or nearly every episode of Black Mirror). **

**That in mind, I decided to try my hand with a WH40K AU that goes for a "lighter and softer" tone. An alternate universe where things don't totally suck and more than a handful of the people in-setting are actually halfway decent people. I know, I know, it's..."heresy" to most WH40K fans, but for me, it's how to make the fiction more appealing to me. If you don't like the sound of it, I am sure there is no shortage of traditional WH40K fan-fics to accommodate your tastes and desires. But I wanted to do something different. So here it is.**

 **To sum up, this is an AU. And when I say AU, I mean AU. Things are different. Lore is altered. Elements have been removed, added, and shifted as needed to accommodate my vision and tell the best kind of story I can think to tell. In particular, an interesting idea I had was that, if in fact the gods in the setting are typically vile because their worshippers are vile, then it might follow that more sympathetic portrayals of things like the Four Powers could be possible if their worshippers were less morally bankrupt (after all, Tzeentch is a god of hope as well as evil things just as Khorne embodies honor as well as bloodlust).**

 **Likewise, humans, Eldar, and Tau are all on the same page here, much more often than they are in actual 40K lore due to many humans in my version being a lot less like space Nazis.**

 **So, if you're the kind of person who will whine and spew venom and post scathing reviews over alterations to the source material, then _DO NOT READ THIS FAN-FICTION._ Seriously. This is, I repeat, an AU. If you don't like that, don't read it. _But don't waste time complaining because I changed the lore._**

 **All that out of the way, here's the fan-fiction:**

 **UPDATE: Kudos to one of my readers for pointing out some tiny errors. They have since been corrected.**

 _Kronos_

"How are we doing, Urtha?" Asked Endewan as he walked up to her.

The female Eldar sighed and answered: "Warp drive is still out of commission, I'm afraid. My bonesingers have been at it for hours, but we've done all that we can for it. Only thing for it now is to just wait it out and let the power for it come back on on it's own. But it's not turning back on again any time soon, no matter how much I fuss over it."

"I understand." Endewan said. "But you know that Michael's not going to like it."

"I know, but I can't help that either. It is how it is."

"Indeed." Endewan replied. "Michael's a rational human. I'm sure he won't take it personally."

"Let's hope so." Urtha replied simply, though it was apparent from her tone that whether or not the Space Marine Captain did or didn't mattered about as much to her as the well-being of the grass she stepped on. She was just that burned out for patience. Perceiving this, and honoring her silent desire for alone-time and a chance to finally relax a little, Endewan took his leave.

Like his longstanding friend and ally, Endewan was an Eldar, one of the oldest and most prosperous races in the known galaxy. They looked strikingly similar to humans, though they were almost never a body type other than lean and physically fit. They lived significantly longer than even the most genetically altered and modified humans did, were possessed of superhuman physicality, and alongside humans and the races of the Tau Empire, were part of an alliance united by one simple fact: that every other thing in the Galaxy was trying to kill them.

Endewan walked past the various small camps his fellow Eldar had set up along with the humans and Tau. Members of the former were mostly busy indulging their appetites for food, drink, and in some cases prayer, while the Tau were mostly stoic and morose as they so often were. Seeing out of the corner of his eye a few of his men engaging in some confidence games, Endewan considered joining them (Khaine knows he needed a break himself), but he was stopped by one of the humans, a dark skinned man named Kargis.

"Hello, Endewan."

"Hello, Kargis. I take it your Captain wants to see me?"

"He does."

Endewan sighed. Guess that game was going to have to wait till later.

"Alright, then. Lead on."

A short walk later, Endewan was standing before the Captain of the Space Marine portion of the coalition currently stranded on Kronos. Captain Michael Mordecai Maeglos (or "Captain M" as some of his men informally called him), was there waiting for him. Like all Space Marines, he was clad in bulky armor that might have seemed almost comical or even ridiculous were it not for the sheer power those who wore it possessed, and even exuded. And like everyone in the coalition, whether they be human, Eldar, or Tau, he wore the colors of red, black, and purple, as was custom for the Greater Good Coalition (or GGC, for short).

"Well? How goes it with the Warp Drive?"

"The power still needs to come back on." Endewan replied evenly before adding quickly: "And before you complain, know that it won't do you a bit of good. Farseer Urtha did everything she could, and we both know she's as good with machines as she is with her powers. So when she says that it will take time, it will take time. So we're all going to have to get comfortable here."

Michael frowned in the face of this. He was not an ugly man by any stretch, but he had somewhat harsh features, and they got harsher whenever he was unhappy or upset, as he was now. "My Chaplin thinks a Warp Storm may be coming. If and when it comes, we could be stuck here if we haven't left beforehand."

"Well, that may be, but it doesn't change the reality of things. We're not leaving this planet any time soon, and that's all there is to it."

"Unless there are _other_ ships we could try finding here." Michael suggested.

"Possibly, but I wouldn't bet too strongly on it. Kronos has been devoid of human or Eldar presence for over a thousand years. Not since the infamous 'Horus Heresy' I believe."

Michael nodded slowly and frowned almost on instinct; the Horus Heresy. Of course, that name was actually somewhat misleading; Horus had been the _hero_ of that particular conflict, and his only "heresy" was in disagreeing with his father's genocidal insanity. Doubtless the Four Powers were a flawed pantheon of Gods who's worst impulses needed to be kept in check, but destroying every last trace of religion on Earth was simply a step too far. Horus had stood against his father's holocaust against the religions of the world, and fought to preserve them against the False God Emperor. He had founded the modern Imperium of Man, and without his efforts, the GGC as it presently was probably wouldn't have existed. And for such heroic efforts, Horus was now reduced to a hellish existence as a skeletal form, barely kept alive, his tears for his fallen men in bottles...

Michael shook his head to break out of the maudlin history lesson. He needed to focus on the present if he wanted to accomplish what was best for his men. "I think we should send out scouting parties." He suggested. "Just in case there's anything left on this planet that we can use. And also just in case there any Dark Eldar here."

Those were the biggest risk to be sure; if there had been any Ork or Tyranid presence it would have been immediately apparent, because the two parasite races were anything but discreet. Likewise, the Daemons of Chaos would have been sensed by the Librarians and Farseers if they had a strong presence on Kronos (and indeed, Michael and Endewan had ordered them to sense for Chaos' presence in preparation). But there was nothing. At least, nothing worth getting worked up about. Thus, the Dark Eldar would be the main concern.

 _Unless..._ Michael thought grimly. _...we were unlucky enough to have landed on a secret Necron tomb world._ Because they did exist. The secret caches and bunkers and underground fortresses for the most nightmarish force the Galaxy had ever seen short of the Daemons of Chaos. And hell, even those Daemons were given pause against the Necrons. So did the Tyranids. _No one_ wanted to see those robot skeletons coming, much less their even worse masters the C'tan...

"Remember, Michael; the Dark Eldar are as adept at stealth as _we a_ re." Endewan pointed out. "Finding them could be tricky."

"You send Eldar to find Eldar." Michael replied. "Seems easy enough to me."

Endewan sighed. Michael's least endearing quality was his total lack of subtlety when it came to strategy. He was an inspiring leader and as fine a warrior as Endewan had ever seen, but he hadn't risen through the ranks via complex strategies; he'd done so through a combination of charisma and sheer fighting talent. In essence, the opposite of how Endewan had risen through the ranks among _his_ people.

"I've spoken with Shak O' Ryos, and he says that the Tau scanners haven't picked up anything. I could ask him to try again." Endewan paused, then noted: "You know...there _is_ another threat we might have to deal with..."

"I am aware." Michael said quickly, though really he hadn't wanted to consider the possibility. Because it _was_ a possibility; the forces that still revered the False God Emperor and fought for him against all non-humans and those of humanity who would not bow down to his genocidal dogma. Such conflicts were always painful for everyone involved, and Michael for one did not wish to kill anymore humans. Perhaps that was selfish of him when the alternative of Dark Eldar would have put Endewan and his men in a similar position of having to fight _their_ kin instead, but nevertheless it was how Michael felt.

The two's conversation was interrupted by one of the Tau Fire Warriors, his helmet betraying no emotion and his bright scarlet red armor and black cape ensuring that even as a rank-and-file infantryman he looked impressive. "Pardon me, sirs. But Shak O' Ryos wishes to speak with you both."

Michael and Endewan nodded their understanding and walked off to meet with the leader of the Tau portion of the assembly. He wore the big, intimidating mech suits that were so popular among Tau front-line leaders, and made famous by Shas O' Kais, a kinsman of Shak who's mech suit was notable for being mostly white. Conversely like his men, Shak's armor was mostly a bold scarlet red in keeping with the GGC's main color, but he also had some purple throughout. Gold as well, to reflect his high rank. He slowly turned to regard Michael and Endewan, who knew better than to be intimidated by him when he was on _their_ side.

"The Greater Good favor you, my friends." Shak said pleasantly, as was typical of him in particular and Tau in general. Truth be told, they were a polite bunch on the whole, when they weren't blowing enemies to pieces that is. "I have some urgent news for you both."

"What is it?" Endewan asked.

"My men's scanners just picked up a ship coming into Kronos' orbit. And in fact, it is making it's way here. Shall I get the men ready for battle?"

Endewan was all set to say "yes", and Michael along with him when Urtha's voice rang out: "Belay that, Shak." She said sternly, striding forwards. Endewan shook his head at how his second in command had once again taken charge without his approval, but at this point he'd given up on trying to reign her in. It was like trying to bring down a Tyranid Hive-Lord with a single shuriken pistol. "I sense that the ship's occupant does not mean us harm...at least not yet. Be wary, but not overly aggressive or hostile. We wouldn't want to provoke this one."

As the ship came within sight and then landed, a lone figure stepped out of it. One look at him alerted Endewan, Michael, and Shak as to why Urtha had advised as she had; he wore the robes, armor, and helmet of a Sorcerer of Tzeentch, the Lord of Change, God of Hope, Master of Magic, and layer of plans within plans within plans. In his hand he carried a staff typical of that sect, and in his other hand, a lasgun of superior model and craftsmanship (they always did get the best of everything it seemed).

"Greetings." The man said in an oily but refined accent. "I am Sindri Myr. I understand that you are a GGC garrison stationed here?"

" _Stranded_ here is more like it." Urtha said bitterly. "Our ship's Warp Drive needs time to get started up again, and we're stuck here until then."

"A pity." Sindri said, though everyone found themselves wondering just how sorry he really was to hear it. "I am afraid that, a Warp Storm is coming. I can sense it quite profoundly. Sad to say, but there is now an all-too limited window of opportunity with which to leave this planet. After that, there will be no guarantee of anything."

"Well, I doubt we can all fit on that ship of yours." Michael replied in a deadpan. Sindri chuckled in the face of Michael's transparent sarcasm. "No indeed. But I think I can still be of some assistance to you; there is an old stronghold some miles from here; home to an Adeptus Mechanicus sect that has been here since the Horus Heresy and has never left. I am quite certain they could make you a ship capable of leaving Kronos in time."

"How far off are they exactly?"

"Oh, I think we could get there in a day or two if we hurry." Sindri said with a smile behind his helmet. "When I said that a Warp Storm was coming, I did not say it would happen in an hour. We _do_ have time to escape, albeit that window is closing. Simply put, I suggest you follow my advice as soon as you can. Immediately, in fact."

Michael for one frowned. Fine words on the Tzeentch Sorcerer's part. Perhaps even true words, but he still didn't like them. That was the thing about acolytes and devotees of the Four Powers; you could never tell whether they were friend or foe. It was discovered long ago that the Four Power's worst traits and impulses were directly linked to the state of their worshippers and the countless quadrillions of beings throughout the galaxy that's emotions they fed off of for sustenance. For instance, Slaanesh had been born out of the Eldar's collapse in the distant past and the orgy of vice and sin that it had entailed, and had only become something other than an utter monster after the Eldar regained their bearings and returned somewhat to their former glory.

What this meant was, that if the humans, Eldar, Tau and the rest could just keep themselves on the straight and narrow path, and adhere to their _best_ impulses instead of their worst ones, then all would be well; their devotion to good and their faith in the higher powers would be rewarded with fabulous magical powers and abilities, among other boons. But on the other hand, the Four Powers even at their best were never entirely benevolent, each of them still embodying to an extent dark and evil things as well as good, and those like Sindri here who embraced their influence in full were always at risk of taking in the bad even as they gave the Four Powers what good they had inside them. A seemingly benevolent follower could just snap at any moment and become a monster (Khorne and Slaanesh's followers in particular seemed especially prone to it, but it was hardly unheard of for Tzeentch or Nurgle's).

So, to make a long story short, Michael had no way of knowing if Sindri was truly on the level as he appeared, or if it was all just an elaborate trap on his part, which was _exactly_ the sort of trickery Tzeentch's more malevolent followers were notorious for. He'd have much preferred to have gotten this information from a Librarian, who drew their powers from faith in Horus, or a Farseer, who got theirs from faith in their specific pantheon of gods.

Urtha and Endewan too seemed skeptical, but the short, dark-haired Farseer at least finally nodded and said: "Alright. Take us there."

"But of course." Sindri said. However, as he walked off, Michael could hear Endewan whisper: "Are you sure you want to trust him? This could easily be a trap."

"It could be, but we have no choice at this point; the Warp Storm _is_ coming, I can sense it myself. And if I'm to die on this planet, I'd rather do it fighting than by dying of starvation while stranded on a planet caught in a Warp Storm."

Endewan nodded, finding it hard to disagree with his second-in-command's logic. That in mind, he gave the other Eldar the order to move out, Shak did the same for the Tau, and Michael reluctantly went off to get his men up and moving. Slowly, and clearly reluctantly, the various Space Marines and Terminator troops did so. From different little things in their specific armors and choices of weapons, Michael knew each of them by heart, as a good commander ought to; Uriel with his power-hammer slung over his shoulder and treated like a beloved child. Tiberius with a dent in one shoulder pauldron he'd never had fixed plus a purple helmet that always made his head feel like a target but had never seemed to hinder him before. Daniel who was usually seen holding hands with one of Urtha's Warlocks who, like her mistress and leader had short, dark hair and icily beautiful features. Michael shook his head at that last one. He'd need to speak to Daniel about that. Interspecies unions among the GGC races weren't unheard of, but they were still a little frowned upon, and in any case, there was such a thing as military professionalism.

 _Daniel always was too gentle for this profession._ Michael thought as he readied his power sword, which crackled with it's refreshingly familiar currents of electricity, and then his other sword, a chainsword. And just in case ranged combat would prove necessary, a holstered Lasgun for good measure.

So it was that the combined alliance of humans, Eldar, and Tau were off. Into the unknown wilds of Kronos, and into a whole mess of trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

The GGC company moved at a ponderous pace through the jungles and brown landscapes of Kronos. They didn't need to; even in finely crafted suits of heavy armor there wasn't a soul in the bunch who couldn't run at superhuman speeds. And if things were as urgent as Sindri, Urtha, and Michael's Chaplin Matthias were all insisting, then perhaps they _should_ pick up the pace a little.

At least, that was what Michael was starting to think, so in the name of that he made his way over to Endewan and gave him his thoughts.

"You do have a point." Endewan conceded with a nod, though he added quickly: "But we also don't know this environment well. I'd rather not charge forwards recklessly. Not the Eldar way."

"I don't think it's the Eldar way to dawdle when time is of the essence either." Michael pointed out, the calm and reasonable tone ensuring Endewan wouldn't think he was just trying to be snide with him.

"Fair point." The Eldar conceded again. "Alright, I'll order my men to increase their speed a bit. You should tell Shak to do the same with his Tau forces."

Michael nodded and did so.

Meanwhile, the Chaplin, Matthias, was softly giving a prayer to Horus to watch over the company and to preserve them, as Chaplins so often did. And true to his own nature, Tiberius could not resist the urge to rub it in:

"Do you Chaplins ever do anything else but pray? I mean, you must, right? Unless you pray while ordering dinner too..."

Matthias turned to Tiberius, his white skull helmet betraying no emotion. And it, along with his black with some purple armor, _might_ have been intimidating...were it not for the fact that every last person in the GGC knew that Matthias was as close to pacifistic as any Space Marine ever got.

"Do try to be more respectful, Tiberius." Matthias said in a polite but scolding tone as though he were a schoolmaster explaining to a rowdy child why he shouldn't misbehave. "Our faith is what sustains us. It is what the False Emperor never understood."

"Ugh, a history lesson too." Tiberius grumbled. "I thought that was the Librarian's specialty."

"History _is_ important." Daniel noted. "Helps us to keep the present in perspective. _And_ it reminds us of what we're fighting for."

Tiberius chuckled at this, and Uriel and two other Space Marines, Raphael and Decimus, chuckled too.

"Heh. 'What we're fighting for', eh?" Uriel said. "You mean like the Eldar Warlock? Jenna, I think her name was. We all know you fancy her, Daniel."

Daniel rolled his eyes at this behind his helmet, but Matthias spoke up: "Daniel makes a fair point, however; history _is_ important. For precisely the reasons he gave." He paused, then said: "Tell me...what faith sustains you all, brothers? Faith in Horus, or something else?"

"Horus, obviously." Tiberius said, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, like saying that water was wet, or that Orks were insane. Raphael too gave faith in Horus as his answer, as did Uriel. Decimus said he wasn't sure, and Daniel...

"Well...I was brought up as a Catholic, mostly. I guess I still sort of am."

"A _Catholic?_ " Decimus repeated, wondering whether or not he liked the sound of it on his tongue. "Huh. Uncommon choice these days."

"The Captain was raised as a Christian too you know." Daniel noted. "Protestant, I think."

"Yeah. Takes all sorts to make a world I guess..." Decimus said.

Elsewhere, the Eldar Warlock they had just been mentioning, Jenna, was presently in deep concentration, eyes shut even as she walked and doing what she could to sense the coming Warp Storm. Beyond that though, Jenna sensed something... _else._ She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something there with them on Kronos that she just didn't like. The natural culprit would be the ruinous powers of Chaos, but there was no indication that the Tzeentch sorcerer with them now was corrupted. By all appearances, he seemed to be "clean", to use a human figure of speech (something most Eldar were reluctant to do even given their alliance, but Jenna wasn't most Eldar).

Of course, Sindri's apparently being untainted by the darkness of the Four Powers and having only the goodness didn't necessarily prove anything; the most powerful ones could, after all, conceal their true nature from even Warlocks and Farseers, Chaplins and Librarians. This in turn meant that, if Sindri _was_ corrupted and was the source of Jenna's unease, then he was also exceptionally powerful, to be able to hide his true nature from so many Eldar at once plus Librarians and a Chaplin as well.

 _Calm yourself..._ Jenna scolded herself silently, with less conviction then she'd have wanted. _...you're just being paranoid. That 'bad feeling' you're sensing is probably nothing at all..._

The walk that had since become a run continued for a time before Sindri suddenly stopped and called out: "Hold, friends. We should stop here."

"Why?" Demanded Michael, a sentiment echoed by Endewan and Shak, though just a bit less hostile in the latter case.

"Because I sense that we are being stalked."

As Sindri said this, Urtha, Jenna, and the other Farseers and Warlocks realized that they sensed it too, as did Chaplin Matthias and Librarians. Of them, Matthias was the one to address Michael: "I sense it too, Captain. I suggest we get into a defensive position."

"No need." Sindri noted. "I sense they are falling back. They must realize we know now. From such intelligence and stealth, I would think we were being pursued by Dark Eldar..."

"That does seem the most logical explanation." Urtha agreed, before adding: "Although it is strange that I cannot sense their specific aura. I sense something, but I cannot define it this time..."

"We'll wonder about that later." Endewan decided. "For now, we should keep moving before they decide to attack for real."

The GGC company, following Sindri's lead, continued their run. For a while, everyone relaxed as the false alarm grew more distant in both hours and memory.

But then, as the skies were getting dark and it became the dusk hours, a sniper shot rang out.

All turned to see that one of the Space Marines swayed before collapsing with a loud thud, the precision shot having gone through his helmet and superhumanly durable cranium both. Sure enough, as the leaders gave the order for their men to take cover, several forms uncloaked, revealing themselves to be the lithe forms of the Dark Eldar, with fiery red manes spilling out behind their black helmets and armor that was mostly black with some lavender and/or teal. Several drew swords and charged into the fray.

"Here we go!" Roared Uriel, charging forwards with hammer in hand. He swung out with it but the Dark Eldar he was aiming at expertly ducked underneath and gave a swift slash that managed to leave a gash in the Space Marine's armor, but only a light one.

"ARGH! Swift little buggers, aren't they?"

" ** _For Horus!_** " Shouted several of the other Space Marines as they charged into the battle, Raphael and Tiberius included. Decimus said nothing and moved in, his Lasguns firing away while Raphael and Tiberius followed Uriel's example of melee weapons, though in their cases Chainswords rather than a hammer. Daniel silently crossed himself as he usually did before battles before taking aim with his Bolter, aiming at one Dark Eldar's head, and firing.

Here was the thing about Bolters; they were not the same as the firearms that humanity had used for most of their existence. Rather, they fired out what amounted to miniature missiles, the initial firing propelling them forwards on their own tiny little rocket-power that, by the time it finally faded, had given the bolter round enough momentum that not much in the world could withstand or react to it...as the Dark Eldar who's head snapped back after getting a big hole in the center of it clearly demonstrated.

"Ha! A fine shot, Daniel!" Uriel said as he finally managed to nail one of the Dark Eldar, hitting him so hard he actually wrecked the Dark Eldar's helmet as well as the head beneath, while a second one got his head taken right off. Decimus continued to put holes into other Dark Eldar with shots from his Lasguns, and simultaneously the Tau and Eldar members of the GGC also did what they could against the Dark Eldar.

"Die, Heretics!" Shouted Endewan as he impaled one Dark Eldar on his polearm before lifting up the corpse and heaving with such force he sent the Dark Eldar body flying into a second with enough force to knock him down and into two more, leaving all three easy prey for the Eldar's Warp Spiders. Endewan smiled with grim satisfaction at the sight, having no mercy in his heart for those Eldar who's hearts remained willfully consumed by depravity. And any chance of ever getting some was lost the day he saw one of their torture camps.

Spinning around in what was a blur even to the superhuman perceptions and reflexes of the Space Marines, Endewan swung with his pole arm that had been with him since his days as a Dire Avenger, and decapitated another Dark Eldar, his helmeted head bouncing when it hit the floor.

"I hate direct fighting!" Complained one of the Eldar Scouts, Tanreer was his name, as he narrowly dodged a shot from a Dark Eldar before dropping the offender with a headshot from his sniper rifle. "Eldar are supposed to fight with _stealth!_ "

"Tell _them_ that!" Exclaimed an exasperated Raphael as he did what he could to dodge some shots aimed at him before one Dark Eldar drove a blade into his leg, going between the thigh and the calf.

" ** _DAMN_** _ **!** " _Raphael roared, driving down with his chainsword and slicing the Dark Eldar's arm clean off. A swift kick to the torso from Raphael's other leg sent him sailing over thirty feet with such speed he could have been shot out of a cannon. After that though, he fell to one knee, silently fuming over his wound. A few Dark Eldar unwisely tried to shoot at him after seeing that he was down, and no sooner did Raphael spot them did he draw his Bolter Pistol that had been hitherto holstered, and put massive, bloody holes into each of them before they could react.

"A Space Marine _**never**_ yields, monsters!" Raphael yelled, firing off more shots before someone somehow managed to shoot his bolter out of his hand. Eyes widening in shock, he turned just in time to see the Dark Eldar sniper who would have put a shot right between his eyes before a high-powered energy blast hit him, melting his black armor like wax and all but completely incinerating the body within. As the Dark Eldar fell down dead, Raphael could perceive that Tau under Shak O' Ryos had moved in to cover him and other Space Marines who had become injured. Similarly, Matthias used his powers as a Chaplin to provide a force-field for Eldar forces, including Urtha and her Warlocks, Jenna among them.

"You have our thanks, Chaplin." Jenna said politely, as she did continuing to fire out searing bolts of lightning along with her fellows and her mistress. No Dark Eldar they hit withstood them.

Finally, after some more amount of fighting, the Dark Eldar pulled back in full, but no sooner were they gone did Farseer Urtha frown. Something was wrong. Several things, actually.

Firstly, their foes had been totally silent. They hadn't made a sound, even as they had died. That wasn't like the Dark Eldar at all. Sadomasochists that they were, they positively _reveled_ in bloodshed and lives ended by their own hands, and while sufficiently severe injuries _they_ received were far less amusing to them, it was not at all unheard of for Dark Eldar to laugh wickedly in the face of minor injuries, and a few particularly crazy ones would even laugh or chuckle after taking a fatal injury in their last moments just to get under their foe's skin one last time. But there had been none of that here. Nor had there been any of the sadistic and derisive taunting that the Dark Eldar never failed to give to their uncorrupted kin. So why were they all so silent?

Not only that, but the attack itself didn't sit right with Urtha; the Dark Eldar were vile, but usually not stupid or suicidally reckless. They must have known that they'd lose to such opposition as a full, multi-species GGC company. The Craftworld Eldar alone were usually more than a match for their evil kin. Them plus Tau and Space Marines would have never been a winnable battle for a Dark Eldar force of that size. So why wage it at all?

Urtha shook her head. Nothing about the battle made any sense to her except for their victory, and she'd make sure to tell as much to Endewan and the other leaders of the company later.

Sindri though, who had casually obliterated over a dozen Dark Eldar through the sheer force of his power, seemed far more at ease with the whole affair, even happy. "Well done, my friends. Well done. As always, the GGC proves that there is strength in numbers and teamwork. These psychopaths and lunatics never stood a chance against such superior fighting prowess."

"Thanks for the flattery." A somewhat bemused Endewan said, while Michael just frowned at the flowery words. Once again he found he just didn't like what Sindri was saying no matter how eloquent the Tzeentch Sorcerer made it. In fact, the more Michael thought about it, the more he realized he didn't like Sindri at all. Maybe it was just how the Dark Eldar had attacked after they'd decided to follow him and he was paranoid, but Michael simply didn't trust Sindri. He didn't really trust anyone that close to the Four Powers, even if they weren't as bad as the False Emperor's scriptures always claimed...

 _I'm keeping my eye on that one...even if I probably couldn't actually take him in a fight..._

In the meantime though, there were dead who needed to be buried, and wounded who needed tending to. However no sooner did this start did Severus Regulus, the leader of Michael's Assault Marines in general and the ones outfitted with Jump Packs in particular, approach him.

"Excuse me, Captain. But while I was airborne I saw that there is a settlement not far from here. We may wish to consider inspecting it."

"What's there to inspect? It would be abandoned."

"You'd think so, but it isn't. I saw humans there. _Living_ humans."

This got Michael's attention. "Very well. I'll inform Endewan and Shak. In the meantime, take the rest of the Assault Marines and a few regulars as back-up and scout ahead of us. Inspect the settlement, and question it's populace. Starting with how in the hell they've managed to survive here this long with no outside contact since the Horus Heresy."

Severus saluted in acknowledgment. "I will, sir. Glory to Horus."

"Horus Protects." Michael returned, and with that Severus was off with the rest of the Assault Marines, Uriel, Daniel, and Decimus being ordered to come as well. Tiberius stayed behind to make sure his friend Raphael was properly looked after by the Apothecary, Phoebus (who Tiberius for one considered just a step above a quack).

As Severus' scouting party left, Michael went over to Endewan, Urtha, and Shak and informed them of Severus' findings. They all expressed the same surprise he had, as he had expected them to, but said little else, since they knew the answers to whatever questions they might be asking were being acquired at that very moment. Instead, Urtha aired her concerns regarding the Dark Eldar fight.

"...and so none of it adds up." She said, finishing her assessment. "Which means there's more to this than a simple Dark Eldar attack."

"What do you think it could be?" Shak asked curiously.

"I haven't the faintest idea." Urtha admitted. "But what I _can_ say with some amount of conviction is that this won't be the end of it. There will be another attack, and if I had to guess, another Dark Eldar attack...one that makes just as little sense as the last one did."

"Well, perhaps we should worry about that when it happens?" Sindri suggested. "After all, what hope have we preparing for something that cannot be explained or understood, and thus, cannot be prepared for?"

"The Tzeentch Sorcerer makes a decent, if not also tautological, observation." Shak O' Ryos observed. "I am inclined to agree with him."

"Well I don't." Michael said, frown deepening, a sentiment that Urtha echoed. "I say we let me try and get to the bottom of this. Myself and the Warlocks can try and pinpoint any strange or unusual happenings on Kronos with our psychic powers. Captain Michael's Librarians and Chaplin Matthias could assist us as well."

"I would be honored." Said Chaplin Matthias, who had accompanied Michael to the meeting as his second just as Urtha had come with Endewan (and always did).

"Very well, if you think it necessary." Michael said, as he did shooting a look over to Sindri to see how he would take getting shot down. He didn't seem the least bit bothered by it.

"I also give you permission to go ahead and try." Endewan said before adding almost as an afterthought: "Even though I know you would have done it anyway whether I'd given you permission or not."

Urtha smiled. "Wise choice, My Lord."

At the same time this was happening, Severus and his scouting party had reached the edge of the settlement. Severus had been all set to rocket in with his fellow jump pack-wearing Assault Troops, when he saw something that prompted him to order them all to take cover in the foliage instead.

They saw several dead bodies, some of them the same humans Severus had seen when he'd first spotted the settlement. Also present though, were scores of Horus Imperial Guard, some of them dead, the rest disarmed and in restraints. Forced down onto her knees was the apparent leader of the group, and in front of her was a man who based on his garb of green Space Marine armor with gold decorations and red cape with gold border, was unmistakably a member of the dreaded and merciless Inquisition; the sadistic disciplinarians, religious fanatics, and preachers of the False Emperor's vile dogma. This one was fair skinned, had short brown hair, and was missing an ear. From the nature of the injury and his own..."expertise" in such matters, Severus guessed that it had probably been caused by blade rather than bolter or Lasgun, though where the blade had come from was impossible to say. But for whatever reason Severus had a hunch that it was from an Ork.

The Inquisitor knelt down and took the Lieutenant's chin in one hand, forcing her to look up at him. "We know these few heretics our men killed are far from the only ones under your protection, my dear Lieutenant..." The Inquisitor began in an accent that managed to sound refined, lazy, and smug all at the same time. He smiled as he effortlessly forced her to look at him again, his superhuman strength easily overpowering her feeble attempt to look away. "...so you are going to tell me where they are."

The woman scoffed. "Piss off. And in case you're going to threaten me with torture, don't bother." She smiled at him defiantly. "It doesn't work. Doesn't get you good information."

"No, it doesn't." The Inquisitor agreed before smiling again. "But we already know that. You see, my dear, the Inquisition is not as stupid as you think we are. We almost _never_ employ torture to get information for precisely the reason you just gave. But we do have... _other_ ways of getting information." His smile widened as he took to stroking her chin as he kept her head in place. "Such as, say...using our Pyskers to extract the information right out of your feeble mind...even if the mind has to come with it." He paused as he continued to examine the Lieutenant. "A shame to do it to you though...you have a rather pretty face. And information extraction from the mind sometimes distorts the body as a side-effect..."

"Go to hell." The Lieutenant spat. "If you do end up killing innocents, I'll have no hand in it."

"Ah, but you will, my dear." He turned to the two robed and armored figures with horribly scarred faces who were near him. His Psykers, apparently. "Prepare this woman for mental extraction. And while you're at it, erase all of her memories and identity." His mouth turned again into a sadistic smile. "I could use another plaything, especially one as pretty as this one. Then we'll resume our hunt for the heretics."

" _You bastard! They're mostly women and children!_ " The Lieutenant shouted, struggling futilely as two of the Inquisition's green and gold armored men forced her up.

"Even children can be heretical." The Inquisitor said, unmoved. "Chaos and the corruption of Xeno filth touch all, my dear Lieutenant. Fret not, when the Psykers are done, you shall remember none of this...or much of anything." He chuckled. However, his chuckle and general sadistic amusement were short-lived when one of the two Psykers was blown away by a direct hit from a rocket fired from one of Severus' Assault Marines. Severus himself stepped forwards with Bolter pistol aimed and ready and Chainsword drawn, followed by the rest of his scouting party.

"That's enough!" Severus roared. "All of you stand down, we have you surrounded and outnumbered!" He turned to the Inquisitor. "That means you too, Inquisitor pig."

The Inquisitor chuckled at this. "Ah, yes, the _Space Marines._ Still as heretical as ever, I see. Insolent too."

"Let the woman and her men go." Severus warned. "As I said we have you surrounded, and I'm _just_ in the mood for killing a monster like you. So don't give us any trouble."

"I think they should." Uriel said with a frown. "Would give us an excuse to give 'em what they deserve."

"You presume to threaten the Inquisition?" The Inquisitor shook his head. "Heretical, insolent, _and_ stupid." He turned to the still-living Psyker: "Break the woman's mind, the rest of you kill them."

But before the Psyker could do anything, he came under such fire that he had to retreat lest he get shot to pieces, his powers not enough to fend off the assault of so many shooting at him at once. The Inquisitor's men obeyed orders as they always did, but as was often the case when even well-equipped normal humans fought Space Marines, it went poorly for the former, though the Inquisitor for his part was able to kill a few Assault Troopers with a few well-aimed bolter shots. Severus went right at him, and the Inquisitor rapidly drew a Witchblade, that met Severus' Chainsword head on. A few exchanged blows later, and Severus' Chainsword was becoming damaged just from deflecting the strikes.

"Looted this Xeno relic from a slain Eldar after I ordered an Exterminatus on his world. I mean really, Eldar intermingling with _humans?_ Heresy of the worst sort. Something just _had_ to be done."

"I thought the use of Xeno tech was heresy too." Severus said with a frown. The Inquisitor shrugged. "Some of the more...'humorless' members might agree with you. But I've always derived a certain...'satisfaction' from killing the filthy Xenos with their own weapons."

Severus shook his head at the Inquisitor's transparent hypocrisy before running at him again, ducking under his Witchblade strike and slicing up with his chainsword. The Inquisitor's armor held, but it was damaged, and he snarled as he stepped back. As this was happening, Uriel, Daniel, and Decimus were busying themselves with freeing the Imperial Guard Lieutenant and her men, who reclaimed discarded weapons and helped to finish off the last of the Inquisitor's men. Soon the Inquisitor was all on his own, something he realized just after slicing Severus' Chainsword in half.

"You may have out-dueled me, but can you out-duel us all?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow behind his helmet. Seeing that he was indeed now outnumbered, the Inquisitor frowned. "I confess, I cannot. But no matter; you've not heard the last of Inquisitor Xemnar."

There was a brilliant flash of light, and the Inquisitor disappeared. Several shots went flying where he had once been, but it proved a waste of ammo. Inquisitor Xemnar was gone.

"Slippery son of a bitch." The female lieutenant muttered. "And I know that was Eldar tech he just used too. The same sort of thing the Warp-Spiders employ." She spat with disgust. " _Hypocrite_."

She turned to the Space Marines and smiled. "You have my thanks, Space Marines. Mine and those of my men."

Severus took a good look at her and her men; the woman wore the usual armor and under-armor of Imperial Guards on both sides of humanity, but with the color scheme of the GGC, the armored parts being red and the gloves and under-armor all in black. Vile as he'd been, Inquisitor Xemnar had been correct that she was pretty; she had a somewhat round face, small but friendly lips, delicate arched eyebrows, and wavy but neat chocolate brown hair in a ponytail style. She carried herself with authority and dignity, despite what she'd just been through.

Her men meanwhile, based on the exact design of their good-quality armor and the full-face covering helmets, appeared to be Tempestus Scions, the very best of the best of Imperial Guard. Sometimes known as "Stormtroopers", but those loyal to Horus and the GGC intensely disliked that nickname due to it's associations with the Third Reich from humanity's pre-space era, people the Horus-aligned Tempestus Scions couldn't be further from. Those part of the _Emperor's_ Imperial Guard though, hardly seemed to mind the association.

"You were brave to be defiant towards an Inquisitor." Severus said with a nod of approval. "Most would not be so."

"I wouldn't have joined the Horus Imperial Guard and the Tempestus Scions branch on top of that, if I wasn't prepared to be brave even in the face of torture and death." She held out a hand. "I am Second Lieutenant Mira. Formerly of the Cadian branch of the Horus Imperial Guard, now recently transferred to the Tempestus Scions after my...*ahem*, 'performance' on the Forge World of Graia."

This admission prompted a wave of whispers among the Space Marines. "Wasn't that the battle where the great Titus destroyed a Daemon of Chaos?" Daniel asked, having heard the story from Raphael, who had actually been there.

"The very same." Lieutenant Mira said with a weak smile. "That was before the Inquisition nabbed him on charges of 'heresy'. I don't know what happened to him after that."

"So the Inquisition is here hunting for supposed 'heretics' eh?" Severus asked, changing the subject. "Where are they?"

"I sent them and most of my men to a secure location some distance away. It's close to where an old Adeptus Mechanicus facility is located, as I was planning to use those ships to escape from Kronos before the Warp Storm, and hopefully leave these Inquisition bastards stranded here at the same time."

"Funny you mentioned that, as the GGC company we're a part of is trying to get there too, and for the same reason. Perhaps we should pool our resources into a single alliance?"

"Of course. My men and myself are as loyal to Horus and the GGC as you, and we're in your debt regardless. Lead on, uh..."

"Severus. Lieutenant Severus Regulus of the GGC's Space Marines, Assault Marine sub-division."

"Very well then, Lieutenant Regulus. I am yours to command."

"We do share a rank though."

"Yes, but as I said, I owe you. And you're a Space Marine. I'll gladly follow your lead."

Severus nodded his understanding before giving the order to move out and return to to the main company. Daniel and Uriel brought up the rear.

"Wonder how so many humans could still be here after all this time..."

"I suspect we'll get the answers eventually, Daniel." Uriel said.

"Indeed. Well, either way, I think our odds against the Inquisition, Dark Eldar, and whatever else is here just went up considerably."

Uriel chuckled. "Bah. I've got us plenty covered. It is nice to have an audience though."

Daniel sighed as they kept walking. "You are _one_ cocky bastard, Uriel."

-X-

When Inquisitor Xemnar returned to the small stronghold that the Inquisition had made for itself on Kronos, his men saluted him on sight. They didn't need to ask about the others; that he'd come back alone made it clear that Xemnar's forces had been wiped out.

"The traitors and heretics were saved by Space Marines loyal to the great betrayer." Xemnar said. "What's more, I've reason to believe there may _also_ be Xenos on the planet. Either way, it is clear we shall need more than the rank-and-file Imperial Guardsmen." He turned to his second: "Call in the Gold Legion. Tell them to kill anyone not us they find."

 **Author's Notes: Yes, I used some of the characters and material from Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, as well as Sindri from Dawn of War and the location here from Dawn of War: Dark Crusade. Trying to draw on established lore even a I write a Noblebright AU.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Where's your Chainsword?" Asked Michael as Severus returned along with his scouting party plus their new Imperial Guard allies.

"Destroyed, by an Inquisitor that's here on Kronos." Severus replied matter-of-factly. As expected, the mere mention of the Inquisition got Michael's attention immediately.

"The Inquisition is here on Kronos?"

"Unfortunately yes, sir." Said Mira as she stepped forwards and saluted. "Second Lieutenant Mira of the Tempestus Scions and formerly the Cadian Horus Imperial Guard, sir. Lieutenant Severus Regulus here saved my life and the lives of my men."

"At ease." Michael said, before introducing himself: "I am Captain Michael Mordecai Maeglos. My men sometimes call me 'Captain M'. I am the leader of the Space Marine portion of this particular GGC company."

"A pleasure to meet you, 'Captain M'." Mira returned with a bemused smile. "My men and myself are yours to command as you see fit."

"Well, first I'd like to introduce you to the Eldar and Tau leaders of this regiment as well. If you'll follow me..."

Michael led Mira and her men off in the direction of Endewan and the other Eldar, and Severus watched them go.

"They seem to be getting on rather nicely already." Decimus noted behind Severus, who nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Always good to have more people on our side as well. Especially now that we know we've got both Dark Eldar _and_ the Inquisition to worry about..."

"I'll be eager for another shot at the latter in particular." Decimus said with a frown behind his helmet. "I've _seen_ an Exterminatus up close, you know. They're not pretty. If anyone deserves a bolter round to the face, it's the Inquisition."

"I know." Severus said with a nod. "I too have seen one. Personally, I've always regarded the Inquisition as bigger monsters than even the Orks and Tyranids. The latter are more animals than a genuinely malevolent force, being the predators and us their prey. And the Orks are just plain stupid in all things not warfare. They're also impartial; they hate _everyone_ that aren't Orks. But the Inquisition...they're a more intelligent kind of evil in this galaxy. And one that kills people just for disagreeing with them." Severus shook his head.

"Pity they, the Orks, the Tyranids, and the Necrons can't just all wipe each-other out." Decimus said.

"Horus willing, it could one day happen." Severus pointed out.

"Perhaps, but I wouldn't hold my breath." Decimus replied sadly.

Elsewhere, Captain Michael was busy introducing Mira and her men to Endewan and Shak O' Ryos, while Daniel decided to seek out Jenna for some..."alone time".

"I see you have returned, my love." Jenna greeted with a smile. Daniel was always struck by the echoing quality to Eldar's voices, even when they had no helmets on. He always found Jenna's especially melodic, but that might have just been because he felt about her the way he did.

"I have, Jenna." Daniel said with a nod. He dared to come closer to her, and she permitted it. As a Space Marine he stood a few heads taller than her and with his armor on was much, much wider too. Looking at the two together they might have seemed comical as a couple, but as Daniel taking her small hand in his massive crimson gauntlet showed, their feelings for one another were genuine.

"There is something on your mind." Daniel noted. He wasn't a Psyker, but he didn't need to be to tell. He suspected spending so much time around them though had rubbed off on him, giving him his intuitions and gut feelings that usually proved quite accurate in the end...including this time.

"There is." Jenna said with a nod. "I...I sense something here on Kronos that does not sit right with me at all."

"Well, we _did_ just learn that the Inquisition is here." Daniel pointed out.

Jenna nodded. "Yes, those genocidal filth could be it, but...I'm not positive. I still feel like there's something else."

"Chaos?" Daniel suggested. "Chaplin Matthias and the Librarians haven't sensed anything."

"Yes, but that could just mean that the source of the power is so great that it can mask it's presence. I myself am not sure if it's even there or not. But I still can't shake the bad feeling."

"Well, _I_ believe you at least." Daniel said with a smile. Jenna looked up at him and returned the smile. She raised her hands, and telekinetically lifted the helmet off Daniel's head, revealing a handsome face with hair that was somewhere between dirty blonde and light brown, and kind-looking blue eyes.

"I'm not supposed to take my helmet off in a hostile environment." Daniel pointed out. "It's in the Codex Astartes."

Jenna sighed. "Oh, very well." She said, telekinetically lowering the helmet back in place over his head. "But I grow restless when I don't get to see your face for so long. When I don't get to...do other things with you as well."

"I know, Jenna." Daniel said, sympathetic to her every word. "But there _are_ rules that come with being a Space Marine. Those of us in the GGC are not as draconian as the False Imperium's Gold Legion granted, but even so. We were still both born from the same set of rules. The same book."

"I find that hard to believe." Jenna said, smiling. " _You_ , my love, are as far from the Gold Legion as a human can get."

"I appreciate the compliment, Jenna. But the reality of it is that we're still all Space Marines. Just ones with different loyalties, and..." He lifted her chin with a single finger. "... _very_ different attitudes on aliens."

Jenna smiled at him before saying: "Perhaps...you might request a leave after this? If we all make it off of this planet, I mean."

Daniel shook his head. "Impossible. A Space Marine's vows and duties are not so easily suspended. We are expected to be wherever there are battles that require our presence. Our opportunities for...'downtime', if you will, are few and far-between. I'm sorry, Jenna."

"I do understand." She said. "The vows an Eldar Warlock takes on are similarly demanding. It would seem neither of us is equipped to lead a quiet, romantic life."

"No, I am afraid not." Daniel said. "Even now in this nobler and brighter era, there is still war."

-X-

Captain Nero Tyrus surveyed the area in front of him, his golden Space Marine armor and helmet glistening in the sunlight. Of course, not much sunlight was actually shining through on this day; the sky was primarily overcast gray, the rapidly approaching Warp Storm making it's presence known.

"If we do not leave soon, we will be trapped here with the Heretics and Xeno filth." Noted Captain Tyrus' second, a Terminator armored brute named Surtr.

"I am aware." Captain Tyrus said coldly. "I am _also_ aware that Inquisitor Xemnar cares more about revenging himself on any who humiliate him than on actually doing the Emperor's bidding. But, the man still has his uses to the Emperor and to the Imperium. So we'll go along with his desires for now." He turned to Surtr: "Tell the entire Gold Legion to move into position. We'll be charging the heretics and Xenos _very_ soon."

Surtr nodded and ran off to give these orders. As he left, Captain Tyrus realized that he sensed someone else, watching him. He knew who it was.

"Reveal yourself, Inquisitor." Captain Tyrus said sternly.

Inquisitor Xemnar did so, even though he was under no obligation to as far as he was concerned. But he did have words with the Captain of the Gold Legion that had accompanied him and his forces to Kronos.

"I wish to talk, Captain." Xemnar began.

"About what?" Asked Captain Tyrus.

"About the battles to come. Know that I will be accompanying your men. I have my own stake in this, and wish to dispense the Emperor's justice on our foes _personally._ Also, I would ask that you not commit _all_ of your men to a full-frontal assault. We shall need some later for when we locate where the heretics and the remainder of the traitor-guardsmen are hiding."

"Your concerns are noted, Inquisitor." Captain Tyrus said, though it was clear from his tone that he didn't care what the Inquisitor wanted or didn't want. He cared only about what _all_ members of the Gold Legion cared about; killing heretics, xenos, traitors, and most especially, the Daemons of Chaos. All in glory to the late God Emperor who even in death still had an ironclad hold over them all.

Inquisitor Xemnar for his part pretended not to hear the apathy in the Space Marine Captain's tone and continued: "This will be a glorious day for the Imperium of Man; an entire GGC platoon plus a planet full of heretics all wiped out by our hands. A fine catch indeed."

" _If_ we can succeed at it." Tyrus pointed out. He hated the enemies of the Imperium as passionately as any other Imperial Space Marine, but he was no fool; their heretical brothers were as dangerous as _they_ were, and the Eldar and Tau, even being the filthy xenos that they were, were never to be underestimated. Few Gold Legion companies ever triumphed over an entire GGC platoon single-handed. Tyrus just counted himself fortunate that he had the Inquisitor and his accompanying Psykers and guardsmen to help even the playing field.

Xemnar though, seemed more confident. "Of course we'll succeed, Tyrus. The Emperor's most faithful subjects are _always_ rewarded for their commitment to the cause of expunging heresy wherever it may be found."

-X-

 _How goes it on Kronos?_ Asked Farseer Urtha's master and the chief spiritual leader and advisor of _all_ Craftworld Eldar everywhere; Eldrad Ulthran.

 _We are trying to find passage off the planet before a Warp Storm hits._ Was the telepathic reply that Urtha sent to him as they continued to mentally communicate from across the galaxy. Such was the power of Eldar Farseer telepathy at it's mightiest.

Urtha continued: _I confess, that we are racing against the clock. Based on the word of a Tzeentch Sorcerer we have allied with, we should have at least another full day to get to where we need to go, possibly more. And every battle we get engaged in from here on out will only slow us down further._

 _This is indeed troubling._ Eldrad Ulthran noted. _Alas, Kronos is so far away from where I am, that I will not be able to send reinforcements to you in time. Even faster-than-light travel has it's limits, I'm afraid._

 _Do not blame yourself, Great Farseer._ Urtha replied. _We will make it off on our own. That or die trying._

 _I would not desire that second one._ Eldrad said, before adding: _Least of all when **you** would be among the dead, Urtha._

 _We cannot forsee **everything,** Great Farseer. _Urtha reminded him. _We can only do our best with what knowledge we have._

 _True. Well, I wish you the best of luck in escaping Kronos before the Warp Storm. I do hope we can see each-other again, daughter._

 _We shall see, father._ Urtha said, as the psychic link was broken, and Urtha got back up. As she exited her tent though, she heard the same eerily familiar oily voice as before: "Have a good talk with daddy, did we?"

Urtha whipped around to see that Sindri was standing there, having clearly been waiting for her. Her lovely eyes narrowed accusingly. "How..."

"Never mind how I know, dear Farseer." Sindri replied in that same incredibly refined, elegant, whisper-like voice. "But the fact is I know. But it's not common knowledge, is it? Most don't know the great Eldrad Ulthran fathered so many children, do they?" He chuckled. "Why is that, I wonder? Could it be that he is..." Sindri made a fake gasp of shock. "... _ashamed_?"

Urtha lowered her Farseer staff at him menacingly. "Watch what you say, Tzeentch Sorcerer." She snarled, her pretty face becoming ugly with barely contained rage. "I'll not let anyone insult the great Farseer in my presence." She paused, then added: "Not with their tongue still in their head anyway."

Sindri chuckled. "My, my, such a feisty spirit. It will serve you well in the conflicts to come."

Urtha raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'conflicts to come'?"

"Why, isn't it obvious?" Sindri asked with a raised eyebrow. "You've sensed it as I have; something is coming for the Greater Good Coalition, and the False Imperium too. Something that is too powerful for either faction to overcome on it's own. We shall need to find some additional ally in order to beat them back. But you already know this, because as I said, you have sensed it too; foreseen it."

"The future is not set in stone." Urtha pointed out.

Sindri chuckled and dared to walk closer to Urtha, gently pushing the spear-head of her Farseer staff out of the way. "Mmmm, true, but we _can_ forsee what is most likely to happen. That's reason enough to be concerned, is it not?" He smiled behind his helmet. "This is why I sought you out. Because the two of us know things the others do not. _We_ are the ones who must prepare for what is coming."

"You know much, Tzeentch Sorcerer." Urtha said with a frown. " _Too_ much, for my liking."

"The Lord of Change knows all." Sindri pointed out smugly before adding as an afterthought: "Well, or _nearly_ all at any rate. Close enough." He chuckled again, before adding: "Also, I sense that another enemy force is headed our way. The Gold Legion, if I'm not mistaken. Rather unpleasant bunch, I must say. _Especially_ to those like you and me."

"You sense the Gold Legion? Then I must inform Endewan at once."

"Of course you must." Sindri said with a nod. "Do your duty, dear Farseer." As Urtha went off to warn Endewan, Sindri smiled again and shook his head. He was looking forward to what could come next; he'd get to help wipe out a Gold Legion company, _and_ further ingratiate himself into this GGC platoon and keep steadily gaining their trust. Two birds with one stone.

 _Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen..._

The next morning, everyone was moving again, and again doing so in a run. With it now being clear though that the Gold Legion was on to them, Lieutenant Mira had suggested that she lead her men and several of the Space Marines to the place where the rest of her men and the civilians were already hiding out. The Eldar, being the best at stealth, would accompany them, whilst meanwhile the Tau and the rest of the Space Marines would remain on their current path with Sindri to get the Gold Legion's attention. This way, roughly half the force could get to where they all wanted to go faster and hopefully without fear of running into anymore unwanted resistance. Otherwise if they all stayed together and kept moving forward, their enemies would always know exactly where to find them, and keep sending more troops their way, slowing down the whole GGC force indefinitely.

Impressed with the Imperial Guard Lieutenant's sense of strategy and prudence, Captain Michael and Endewan had agreed to the plan, the latter leading his Eldar to accompany her, her men, and some of the Space Marines, while Michael kept leading the rest along with Shak O' Ryos on the path Sindri had laid out. Before they'd split up, Jenna sent Daniel a very short, pointed telepathic message:

 _You had better come back to me alive, my love._

The plan seemed to work; no sooner had Michael and Shak's Space Marine and Tau forces emerged from another of Kronos' many jungles and into a more barren and wide-open field, did they see off in the distance the distinct golden armor of members of the Imperial Space Marine Gold Legion. Or, as they were so often called by their enemies, the Tyrant Space Marines.

"There they are." Michael observed grimly. He called out: "Space Marines, rally to me and perform a vox-test."

"Matthias, aye."

"Raphael, aye."

"Uriel, aye."

"Daniel, aye."

"Tiberius, aye."

"Kargis, aye."

"Decimus, aye."

"Phoebus, aye." Finished the Apothecary, Michael having made sure to keep him due to suspecting they might need him. Severus and the Assault Troopers meanwhile had accompanied the Eldar and Tempestus Scions.

For his part, Captain Tyrus had had his men do a similar vox-test before the battle. He eyed the Captain of the rival Space Marines with contempt before giving the order to charge. "Kill them all!" He shouted. His men heeded this order and charged, with Tyrus right in there with the rest of his men and his second Surtr bringing up the rear. For all his insisting that he wished to partake in the battle, Inquisitor Xemnar was curiously absent, but as far as Tyrus was concerned that was no skin off his nose.

As the Gold Legion Space Marines came closing in, the GGC Space Marines softly muttered some prayers, mostly to Horus of course, though Michael and Daniel instead gave Christian prayers, with Daniel again crossing himself.

"Horus protects." Chaplin Matthias said.

"A pair of good-old-fashioned Lasguns don't hurt either." Decimus remarked in a deadpan as he overheard the Chaplin. And, as if to prove his point, as the Imperial Space Marines finally got into position, Decimus opened fire with his Lasguns, the searing hot energy projectiles going through the Gold Legion men's helmets as though they weren't even there. This in turn kicked off the shoot-out, with many of the Imperial Space Marines dying before they could even reach their enemy. One that did manage to make it into melee range was swiftly decapitated by a swing from Michael's power-sword.

Hardly prepared to take their getting shot at repeatedly lying down, the Tyrant Space Marines returned fire, mostly with Bolter type weapons, though there were a few Lasguns thrown into the mix as well. The sounds of battle grew deafening as they so often did, pounding into the heads of everyone involved, but they all ignored it.

The Apothecary Phoebus shot another Tyrant Space Marine in the head with his bolter pistol and blocked the power sword strike of a second with his chainsword. They traded blows for a short while before Decimus got him in the side of his helmeted head with another shot from a Lasgun. For his part, Kargis used a flamer, unloading searing hot plasma fire onto the Imperial Space Marines and cooking them alive inside their suits of armor. He ignored the screams of pain and pressed on. Shak and his Tau Fire Warriors were hardly passive during all of this, trading fire with the Tyrant Space Marines as well and each side giving as good as it got. Several Tau fell forwards dead from their wounds or else were blasted through the air, but still they took some of the golden tyrants with them.

" ** _For Horus!_** " Uriel bellowed as he traded blows with Tyrant Space Marines without missing a beat, facing three at a time and blocking each of their power or chainsword strikes with his hammer. He jammed the butt end into one's chest with enough force to stagger him before swinging his hammer at another one's head. He blocked the strike, but it staggered him, leaving him open to a follow-up attack. As Uriel brought him down with a hammer blow to the chest, he devoted more energies to the other two.

Raphael, his leg healed earlier, savagely drove his chainsword into another Tyrant Space Marine without batting an eye, memories of what the Gold Legion had done on more than one world fueling his every attack. Mere moments later, he killed another one with his chainsword.

 _They're not as tough when their victims aren't civilians._ Raphael thought with pure contempt as he killed yet a third before he finally had the misfortune of running into Nero Tyrus himself.

"Heretic filth!" Nero shouted, swinging with his Power Sword. Raphael blocked the strike, but the ensuing exchange of blows was pitifully short. Raphael howled in pain as his entire forearm was sliced off, and his Chainsword fell away into the dusty ground along with it. Raphael drew his Bolter with his remaining hand, firing wildly.

"A Space Marine _never_ yields!" He shouted, but Nero Tyrus dodged the bolter rounds before sending the Bolter spiraling out of his armored hand with another Power Sword strike.

"I know." Nero said simply before driving the Power Sword into Raphael's chest. "...I feel the same way."

Raphael gasped in shock and blood gurgled in his throat. He fell backwards, still not quite dead. Nero stood over him, ready to finish him.

"One final stab into your head should do it..."

Nero was cut off when a large, armored form rammed into him as hard as it could. Nero went tumbling backwards, dropping his Powersword as he did. Staggering to his feet, he saw Shak O' Ryos there, standing over Raphael's form.

"Stand down in the name of the Greater Good."

"Hmph. A Xeno coming to the defense of a Space Marine." Nero noted with disgust. Drawing his two hitherto holstered Bolter Pistols, he aimed them right at Shak...before rapidly changing and shooting at two of his Fire Warriors.

"No!"

"Your concern for them makes you weak." Captain Nero said contemptuously. "All of my brothers and I will happily throw away our lives for the Emperor's vision. We do not let things like compassion or mercy drag us down."

"Then reap what you sow." Shak said simply before firing his mech suit's payload at Nero. Had they connected the Space Marine Captain most assuredly would have been slagged, but his ever-loyal second in command Surtr threw himself between Nero and the shots. His Terminator armor was durable enough to take most of it, but even he was badly damaged. Shak surged forwards again, and Nero took the opportunity to slip out of the way, moving on to other, more vulnerable targets as Shak busied himself fighting Surtr.

"Take _that!_ " Uriel shouted, giving another hammer swing that connected. This one actually sent the Tyrant Space Marine it hit spinning through the air dramatically before landing with a thud. Daniel continued to gun down what Tyrant Space Marines he could, Bolter Rifle firing away. Each one killed gave him no satisfaction the way it did some of his brethren, but he continued regardless. He didn't ever like the violence but he knew his duty. Chaplin Matthias too disliked the bloodshed, frowning at the display before him behind his skull helmet and throughout the fight mostly busying himself by creating force-fields for his fellow Space Marines and also Tau Fire Warriors and other troops under Shak's command.

Finally though, as two more of those Tau died to Tyrant Space Marines and about seven of them charged forwards in a coordinated assault on his allies' position, Matthias knew that the time for him to go on the offensive was then.

" ** _BURN, MURDERERS!_** " Chaplin Matthias roared, unleashing from his Chaplin scepter a wave of blue flaming energy that struck each and every one of the seven Tyrant Space Marines and stopped them dead in their tracks.

By this point, the battle had clearly turned against the Imperial Space Marines; despite having had the GGC Space Marines outnumbered, the Tau's presence had been enough of a numbers boost that, in conjunction with the level of fighting prowess of Michael and his men (something Nero hadn't quite counted on), they were taking the advantage in the battle. In fact, thus far, Nero had lost dozens of men while Michael had lost only one. And _he_ wasn't even dead yet.

 _Time to change that._ Nero resolved, aiming his Bolter pistols at Uriel and firing. Uriel deflected two of the shots and dodged some of the others, but finally one managed to nail him and throw him off balance. Seizing on that, Nero fired a second barrage, and this time he managed to hit Uriel several times. Closing the distance in full, Nero rammed into Uriel, knocking him down. Grabbing his Warhammer, Nero slammed it down onto Uriel's head. Lifting the hammer up, he did it again. And again. And again.

Satisfied with the messy death he'd dealt the Space Marine, Nero looked at the hammer that's head was now completely red. Nero's breastplate and helmet too were now spattered with blood and a few other things that need not be described.

"I think I'll keep this." Nero decided, before turning to his men: "Pull back! Pull back and regroup! We've done enough damage for now! We'll finish them off later!"

Nero's men heeded him and they fell back, but some were cut down trying to escape. Others were killed in the battles they'd been in before they could disengage. And among the dead, Nero could see Surtr's now headless body falling backwards, the end result of him taking a point-blank blast from Shak O' Ryos' fusion blaster.

Deciding he'd rather not go out the same way, Nero kept falling back, with his remaining Space Marines right alongside him.

"Victory! We have victory!" Tiberius roared, raising his now completely-soaked-in-blood chainsword into the air in triumph.

"No such luck, I'm afraid." Said Michael grimly, both his own chainsword and also his powersword dripping with blood as well. "You heard what their captain said: "They're only falling back to regroup. We shall have to be ready for another attack."

"Captain!" Called Phoebus, getting Michael's attention. He ran to his position to find him standing over Raphael.

"It's not good, Captain. His injuries are severe..."

"Do what you can for him, Apothecary." Michael ordered. Phoebus nodded and did so, but he hadn't been lying or exaggerating when he'd said it was bad; Nero's powersword had gone right through one of Raphael's vital organs, and the electrical current had ensured there was additional damage as well, to say nothing for his other injuries. Meanwhile, Michael could see Daniel and Matthias standing over Uriel's dead body, Daniel reciting the "Lord is my Shepherd" prayer while Matthias asked that Horus grant Uriel peace in death.

"No..."

"Killed by his own weapon from the looks of it." Matthias observed grimly. "Especially since we can't find his hammer anywhere. Someone took it."

"The Gold Legion shall pay for this." Michael vowed. "But I trust you two are alright?" They both nodded.

"Where did the Tzeentch Sorcerer get off to?" Decimus demanded. "We could have used him in this battle."

"Busy conducting a little sabotage." Came Sindri's all-too familiar voice as he materialized behind Decimus, causing him to whip around with both Lasguns drawn and aimed at him.

"Peace, my Space Marine friend." Sindri said with a raised hand. "I mean you no harm."

"I'm not your friend." Decimus said with a frown.

"As I was saying...while you were all dealing with the Gold Legion's main force, I made my way over to their main base and... _dealt_ with the ones they left to stand guard there. Rest assured that when they return to their main base, the Gold Legion will be in for a little...'surprise'. They are even weaker and more depleted now than they realize."

"I'll believe that when I see it." Michael said, frowning. "Decimus is right, we could have used you here, sorcerer. Especially when this is the path _you_ have led us on and continue to lead us on."

"My apologies, good captain." Sindri said. "But rest assured, I mean what I say. You'll see...the Gold Legion will, I promise, be a more surmountable foe when next we cross paths with them."


End file.
